Celine
by Roman Daughter of Mercury
Summary: The Montclaire's were of Shadowhunter blood, intermingling with the Herondale's to create Jace Herondale. But his mother, Celine, had a brother, and that brother had a daughter born shortly after Celine's murder. Sebastian Morgenstern knows about this, and what better way to get back at Jace than to make his only family member fall in love with him?


**One**

The fire inside of him burned while questions ran through his head. When he took a shower, would the water steam when it touched him? Did the water have to be cold? Would the fire extinguish if he got in water? Would Jace have to suffer for the rest of his Shadowhunter life without bathing? If he didn't bathe, would they still consider him to be pretty? Would Clary still love him? _If he stepped in a puddle, would he die?_

Alec Lightwood shook his head, glaring scornfully at his parabatai. "Jace, you are not going to die from water."

Jace raised an eyebrow at his, a smirk playing across his face. "I could be the Wicked Witch of the West. It's from a Mundane movie, _The Wizard of -"_

"I know what _The Wizard of Oz_ is. Magnus showed it to me." A dark shadow fell across his face. Jace looked away, leading the conversation away from Alec's ex-boyfriend.

"I'm not so convinced, Alec. They haven't let me bathe since I've been in the Infirmary. There's something fundamentally wrong with that. Maybe I should go bathe myself." Jace swung his legs out of the bed, but Alec was quicker than expected, pushing him back onto the mattress.

"Not a chance." He folded his scarred arms and looked down at Jace with a shake of his head. "Not with that." He nodded towards Jace's chest that had been pierced a few days prior by his girlfriend, Clary Fairchild. "You need rest; not a shower."

Jace rolled his eyes and leaned back, hands behind his head. "Whatever you say, Dr. Lightwood."

The doors to the infirmary suddenly burst open as Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's sister, charged through. She wore black Shadowhunter gear with a stele strapped to her belt and her whip wrapped around her arm. Her long black hair was tied back in a braid, and her eyes were dark with makeup. She scanned the scene with her dark eyes.

"Whatever you're trying to make him do, Alec, you know he can't."

"I didn't-"

She held her hand up and cut him off. "Don't care. There's bigger things to handle. Mom and Dad have been _talking_ and he thinks that he knows of someone who can help find Sebastian."

Jace sat straight up, tearing a few of the stitches in his back. He grunted but tried his best to ignore the pain. "Who is he? Where's he at? I want to talk to him -"

" _She,_ you sexist." Isabelle looked down at him with pity in her eyes. "I actually came in here to get Alec. They want us to go find her while you stay here and heal." She brushed a lock of his golden curls out of his eyes. He swatted her away with a huff.

"Can they not see I'm bored out of my mind?!" He paused. "Okay, that joke was too soon. But I need action! I need to go somewhere, do something, even if it's just going to the bathroom _alone."_ Alec ducked away from the nasty look. "I'm going with you to hear about her, even if I can't go."

The two Lightwood's exchanged looks. Isabelle was sure, nodding that it was a good idea, but Alec shook his head.

"Absolutely-"

"-not."

Jace huffed loudly. "Fine!" He stood up and adjusted his shirt. He ignored the bloodstains on the back. "I give up on trying to go, but I want to go hear about her. I can help determine Sebastian's moves and motives - "

"You said you don't know where he's going next." Isabelle gently touched his arm, but pulled back when her fingers began to burn.

Jace marched on ahead of them, walking with long strides that only Alec could keep a good pace against. Isabelle jogged behind. Jace made his way down the hall, passed Brother Zachariah - who feverishly asked him to turn around -, and entered the Library. Maryse and Robert Lightwood sat by each other, but their chairs had a large gap between them. Tension filled the room like a toxic gas, and it was obvious that a fight had just ended. A lamp was shattered against the left wall; Maryse was gripping the book she was reading so tightly that Jace wouldn't have been surprised if the hardcover snapped. Robert was looking everywhere _except_ in Maryse's direction. When the trio walked in, he caught Jace's eye. They held stares for a brief moment before Robert looked away.

"Who is she?" Jace asked quickly, realizing how out of breath he was. Alec pushed a chair behind his knees, and he instantly sunk into it.

Maryse closed her book, setting it aside with a toss. A puff of dust rose. "I thought I told you to leave him in the infirmary."

"I thought you said I'd have some say in deciphering the best way to stop Sebastian," Jace shot back. Behind him, Alec leaned against the chair, his gaze switching between the two of his parents. Each of them seemed tense.

Maryse sighed, her strong appearance vanishing. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, looking up at Jace with her large blue eyes. She sat her head in her hands in silence. Isabelle heard her mother sniff, as if she was crying. Robert made no move to console her. Instead, he leaned back in the chair on two legs and called from Brother Zachariah. The Silent Brother floated into the Library, hands clasped.

 _You called?_ His tone was highly annoyed.

"We were just about to tell them the news," Robert said. "I figured you'd want to see their reactions."

The Silent Brother said nothing.

Robert looked up at his son, Alec, and they locked eyes. "I've found a girl in Atlanta, Georgia. Her name is Celine Montclaire. She was named after your mother, as she was her niece."

Isabelle gasped; Alec sighed; Jace remained silent, only sinking back in his chair.

"She's your cousin, but she was raised by the Montclaire's who didn't love her, like they did with Celine. As you know, the reason Celine joined the Circle was because Valentine promised her love, then she married Stephen, and here we are. But, Celine Herondale had a brother, Preston Montclaire, whose wife conceived around the same time Celine did. Well, when your mother died, Jace, and you went missing, Preston had a baby girl.

"The new Celine Montclaire was only a few months old when Valentine killed her parents - something you have in common. She was then raised by her grandparents, who were the same one's who abused your mother. Tradition speaks for itself, except Celine had a bit more of a wild side. She fought back. They shipped her off to Mundane boarding schools, and then to Institute's during the summer. Currently, she is in Georgia at a boarding school called St. Peter's Academy. I'm sending Isabelle and Alec to go pick her up and bring her back here."

Jace felt dizzy. All this new information - a new cousin he didn't know about, things about his mother that he had no clue about - made him nauseous. Isabelle and Alec were saying something to their father, who argued back, but Jace shut them out. He didn't want to hear them. Not now. He wanted Clary, for her to hold him in her arms and kiss his head like he had done to her so many times. He needed his rock, his love, now.

He closed his eyes. He pictured his mother, standing in black Shadowhunter gear with her blonde hair waving behind her. He tried to imagine her fighting for the Circle, getting married, being with his father when he found out about her pregnancy. He began to wonder what their life had been like, but was rudely interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

Alec stood beside him with a photo in hand. He held it down so Jace could see. His throat constricted. The girl had fair skin with long, blonde curls cascading down the left side. Her eyes were blue-gray, but they weren't smiling. Her left eye was surrounded by a large black bruise, moving from her nose to her temple. Her pink lips did not smile. On the right side of her cheek was another bruise, like a large fist had hit her in the jaw. Celine, who looked up at the camera, had tear marks tearing through her make up, spilling black mascara down her face. If she wasn't battered and crying, she would have been very beautiful. Jace Lightwood glanced away.

"That's what my mother looked like, isn't it?" he croaked out, his throat suddenly dry.

Maryse, for the first time, nodded her head, wiping tears off her face. "Exactly, except she never stopped smiling. Her light always shone. I... I see her in you, Jace."

Isabelle cleared her throat and set the picture down in front of her father, but kept her eyes on her mother. "We'll leave in the morning, but I'm going to ask Clary to come."

Robert frowned. "Absolutely not-"

"She needs the field experience." Maryse nodded sharply. "Give her a stele and a dagger. I'll call Jocelyn and ask her to bring her over so you can get an early start tomorrow."

Robert glared over at her. "You're doing this to contradict everything I say."

"No," Maryse hissed. "I'm doing this because Clary Fairchild needs to learn how to fight for herself and not depend on _my_ children for everything."

"Our children-"

"You lost that right when you moved to Idris."

There was a glare off between the two adults. Alec shifted uncomfortably. "Come on, Jace. Let's get you back to the Infirmary."

Brother Zachariah was suddenly next to them, levitating above the floor. _I'll take him to the Infirmary. You both need rest, Young Lightwoods, for your trip tomorrow. I suggest you sleep in your own rooms tonight._

Jace stood next to him, not speaking. He stared at the wall in front of him, following the Silent Brother back to the Infirmary. Isabelle watched him nod, and knew that Brother Zachariah and Jace were having a private conversation. Behind her, their parents continued to bicker, which turned to yelling. Alec suddenly huffed loudly, as if he meant for them to hear, and grabbed Isabelle by the arm, dragging he out of the Library.

Outside, he slammed the door with all the force he could muster, causing the door frame to splinter and crack. Flecks of paint shifted down into his dark hair as he pressed against it with his hands. Isabelle reached out to brush his shaking shoulder, but stopped. His head was hung low, and she heard him gasping for breath.

Eyes filling with tears, she pulled him into a hug, which he returned tightly. He picked his sister up off the floor, burying his head in her shoulder. His quiet gasps had now turned into heart broken sobs as he lowered her back to her feet. She quivered like a leaf, holding him around the neck.

"Y-you can't _cry,"_ she whispered. "You're my big brother, you idiot. I'm supposed to be the one crying!"

Alec raised his head, wiping his face off quickly. He had turned stony, looking at his boots and starting to walk off, but Izzy caught him under the arm.

"Come on."

She lead him to the elevator, where they shut the gate, holding hands tightly. They needed each other, more than ever now. Isabelle rested her head against his shoulder as the elevator ascended.

They failed to hear the deafening silence that roared from the inside of the library.

* * *

Sebastian Morgenstern sat outside of the boarding school, looking up at the third floor of the dorm room. To be more specific, he was watching the second window from the left, where a girl's undressing shadow hung against the curtain. He tisked with his tongue. Women these days had no sense of decency.

He looked up one more floor to the fifth window, where he was supposed to be watching. There, dark curtains shielded his view. Sebastian racked his brain trying to think of a way to get her attention. Or was she even there?

Sebastian looked around. The street was deserted and silent, absent of the boys and girls that were usually tromping through as they went to class. The iron gate stood open for any stragglers that went off campus. Sebastian, who had been hiding all day long from pestering Mundane's, walked across the street and into the girl's dormitory.

 _405_ was the room number written on his hand. He stalked up the stairs, taking two at a time. He began to wonder if it was worth it, snatching this girl just to get back at Jace, but figured it was when he found the door was unlocked. Sebastian shook his head. This was too easy. He slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

Inside, he picked around her things, reading her report card and admiring pictures pinned to a cork board. She was easily discernible, like her cousin. Her golden blonde hair stuck out like a flashlight in a dark cave. She also looked almost identical to her aunt - small face, pink lips, strong cheeks, and beautiful eyes. Sebastian had to admit that she was rather beautiful, even if she did associate with Mundane's often. He plucked a picture off the cork board of her and another boy with their cheeks pressed against each other's, smiling widely for the camera. He had brown frizzy hair and freckles covering his face. Sebastian tore the picture down the side of their faces, pinning her face back to the wall and crumbling the boy's in his hand.

Then he went through her whole room, checking for steles or weapons of any kind. When he found none, he sat on her bed and looked around. He suspected this is what the average teenage girl had her room looking like - developed pictures everywhere, clothes littering the floor, make up on her dresser, an unmade bed, an empty soda bottle here and there. The only thing that set this room off from the others was one drawing on the wall: a rune drawn on the wall, resembling a tadpole or a stingray. Sebastian couldn't help the smirk on his face.

Suddenly, a key entered the lock. Sebastian leaped from the bed and behind the door, feeling the pre-battle adrenaline kick in. He smirked as Celine stepped in, dropping her keys on her dresser before turning to shut the door. Sebastian shut it for her, and flicked the lock upwards.

Celine froze, staring at him with wide blue eyes. He looked her up and down slowly without a word. She wore shorts, a t-shirt, and Nike sneakers. Her long blonde hair curled down her back and shoulders. Her eyes locked with his, the soft blue in the pictures now a steel-gray.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"That's a lovely Silencing rune you have on your wall," Sebastian smiled. "Why is it there?"

"For my own damn purposes," Celine snapped. "What's it to you?"

"Temper, temper." He was very relaxed as he reached down to roll up his sleeve, revealing a Fearless rune drawn into his skin. "Call down, Celine; we're one in the same."

She looked from his face to the rune and back again. Sebastian looked down at his sleeve and began to roll it down. "I just came to ask you if you would be interested in-" He looked up. Celine had now changed positions and was holding a dagger in her hands. Off of the tip, a single drop of clear liquid fell to the carpet. "Celine, put the knife down."

"Who are you?" she demanded, holding the knife steady.

Sebastian lifted his hands into the air. "My name's Sebastian Verlac," he lied. "And your name is Celine Montclaire. You're named after your aunt who passed away years back."

"How did you know that?" Celine tensed.

"Because I came here for a reason, not to stalk you. You're in danger."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"The Clave has fallen, Celine! You're grandfather -"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Celine lashed out, swiping and side stepping. Her knife gashed across his chest and she jammed her elbow into his ribs, turning quickly to stab it into his side. Sebastian kneed her in the chest before she connected with his side, but she did cut an inch in. He growled in pain as she took a step backwards, doubled over momentarily. Then, she made another attempt to struck again, but he blocked every move he had with his own dagger, slicing thinly across her face and punching the other cheek. Celine fell to the floor, blood running down her right side and dripping onto the carpet.

Sebastian wiped the blood off his lip. "It's in your best interest to stay down."

But Celine, like her ignorant cousin, didn't know when to stop. She pulled herself to her feet, wobbling slightly, but held her knife at her side. She spit blood in his face, and then lunged one last time. Sebastian, however, was a little bit faster. He grabbed her wrists and shoved backwards, pinning her beneath him on her bed. The wooden bed creaked slightly, but didn't break. He smirked. Celine squirmed and tried to break free, but with her arms pinned and his hips between her legs, she was completely vulnerable. She screamed and hit her heel in the back of his calf, but to no effect.

"Calm down, Celine, easy does it." Sebastian chuckled, watching the anger in her eyes change to fear, and the blood on her face roll down like rain drops. "Relax."

She quit fighting and stared up at him, her breath quickening. "I can't breathe with you on top of me," she said thinly.

He smirked. "Not sure how it's my problem." He looked down at her, a seductive smile playing across his face. Her shirt had slid down during the struggle, and her cleavage was showing. A drop of blood rolled down her jaw line, trickling down her neck, and between her breasts. He swayed his hips back and forth with content, watching. She vigorously shook her head.

"No, wait, please. Don't." She began to wheeze. "Not... Don't do that."

"Do what?" Sebastian leaned on her even more, causing her to exhale and wheeze to the point where she couldn't talk. He smiled. "You look even lovelier from this angle." He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "You have less than two minutes before you pass out from lack of oxygen. Then you're defenseless against me, and I have free range. What, exactly, are you willing to do to live? Because, dear Celine, if you try to run" - he kissed her neck - "I'll kill you."

Celine's wheezing became labored. Her face was discolored, purple and blue. Her cheek was beginning to bruise, and her cut on her cheek dripping out blood. She wheezed, barely getting in any air, before nodding with her eyes closed. A look of pain crossed her face. She nodded more vigorously, finally losing the ability to wheeze. Her eyes started to roll back -

Sebastian lifted his weight off of her chest, leaving it only on her wrists. Celine coughed, gasping for breath loudly. He looked down at her and began to kiss on her neck, softly biting the skin with his front teeth. Celine started to scrunch up, but Sebastian forced her shoulder back down against the mattress. "A deal is a deal, remember?" Celine glared at him momentarily before averting her eyes to the ceiling and relaxing. Sebastian kissed her neck a few more times before moving up her jaw and licking the blood off of her cheek. Celine grimaced.

Then, suddenly, Sebastian pulled back and looked down at her. This small girl, no more than sixteen, was going to accept that she was going to be raped. She valued her life more than her virginity, and Sebastian actually smiled, standing up and walking away from the bed.

Celine nervously sat up, looking at him while shaking like a leaf. "Are... Did you change your mind?" She raised her chin, like she was going to look him in the eyes while he plunged the dagger in her heart. Instead, Sebastian began to pace the floor.

"Sorry, I didn't exactly think this plan through. Let's start over." He stood in front of Celine, smirking down at her. Celine glared up at him, but confusion was written all in her body language. "I have something to ask you."

"If it's consent to have sex, the answer is no."

Sebastian shook his head, and held out his hand for her. "My name is Jonathan Morgenstern, not Sebastian Verlac, but I go by Sebastian Morgenstern. The Clave is being overthrown and is refusing to acknowledge the number of demons flooding into this world because of petty things, and I plan to change that." His bracelet that read in Latin IF I CANNOT MOVE HEAVEN, I WILL RAISE HELL slipped down his wrist towards her. "I heard you were abused growing up and shipped off like a mutt."

Celine rose to her feet. "Because your father killed my parents, Valentine's Son."

"But see, I'm not my father. My father took your aunt in and gave her death. I plan to take you in and give you life. I plan to give you the breath of others, the opportunity to change the Clave. The Clave that refused to step in when you needed it most, when you were whipped and beaten by your Grandfather Montclaire." Sebastian reached out and cupped her wounded cheek. He had obviously gotten her attention. "You're beautiful."

"You do realize you just tried to rape me."

"I stopped, didn't I?" Sebastian licked his lips, where the taste of her salty blood still lingered. He smirked. "I stopped because I realized how strong you were, how much you gripped onto self preservation. That, my dear Celine, was a test."

"I'm not 'your dear' anything-"

"How much do you want to kill your grandfather?"

Celine froze. "I-I'm sorry?" But her blue eyes twinkled.

"I'll help you put the dagger through his heart. Through your grandmother's, too, if you so wish. My only payment must be your support when I tear down the Clave and everything they stood for." He leaned down, taking one of her hands in his. "Does the Clave offer help to abused children? How deep did they look into your parents death? My father's dead, Celine. He meant to take over the Clave." He pressed his lips to her fingers. "I only wish to tear it down."

Celine took in a shaky breath. "I-I don't have anywhere else to go-"

"You can stay with me until we find you a place." Sebastian held softly to her hand. "Do we have a deal, Celine Montclaire?"

There was a moments pause before she chewed her lip. "I'm not a very good cheerleader if that's the kind of support you need, but I'm pretty decent with a sword."

His lips parted into a smug smile. "Let's hope it's better than your knife skills."


End file.
